Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-10-17

the wager on his account, but to hurry on
to the appointed rendezvous and thus win
the bet, and he would follow after he had
become rested a bit, and help to drain the
Jug the Others would have to ill.
Hineman sat down on the edge of the
little ravine to rest, and the remainder OF
the party hurried on to town. They had
barely got beyond hearing, when Hineman
was startled by a slight noise behind him,
and on looking around he was Mortified at
seeing a tall figure, robed from neck to
heels in white, standing within a few feet
of him. The frightened man managed to
call out, who's there?" to which L muf-
fled voice made answer that il was the
spirit of John Gamble who had been
murdered close BIZ. Hineman managed to
screw up courage enough to ask who COM
mitted the crime, when the spirit" re-
piled, "Leban Mercer" The Whitehead
figure then stole slowly and softely away,
aud Hineman lost no time in getting upon
his legs and hurrying TO town. He made
his appearance on the Public Square more
dead than alive, but after a pull or two at
tine jug, mansged to relate to his con
panious what had occurred. The next
morning a party visited the ~ravine, and
after a thorough search of the locality, sue
ceeded in discovering ONE articles which
were recognized as belonging to the muir
deTed man.
The day following this Mercer came up
10 New Martinsville, and it was agreed
that Hineman should be given an oppor-
tunity TO talk to him alone, in the hope
that a confession might he wrung from
him. Hineman accordingly called Mer-
Ger into the little back parlor of his house
and was proceeding to question him, and
was in 4 fair way to accomplish his object,
when Mrs. Hineman, who was cognizlnt OF
husbands aim and who feared that Mer-
Ger might also kill him, broke open the
the door Of the apartment and brought the
inquisition to an abrupt termination.
Mercer was then arrested by the authori-
ties and brought to trial, he being defended
by the present Judge Alpheus F. Hay
mond. while the venerable Judge G. W.
Thompson, of Ohio county, now - years
ofage, sat upon the bench. The Prosecut-
ing Attorney was the father Of Sep Hall,
of New Martinsville, now deceased. A
long and closely contested legal battle was
fought, hut despite the utmost endeayors
of the State il was impossible to obtain di-
rect proof of the guilt of the accused. 1t
was thought that the man who had played
the ghost to John Hineman might have
been an eyewitness 10 the murder, and
have taken the peculiar method he did to
bring the murderer to Justice without CON-
promising himself, but the search Tor this
party was Il f~ruitless one, and a verdict of
not guilty was returned by the jury.
Mercer continued to live in the vicinity
of New Mar;insville for many years, but
he was always looked upon with suspicion,
and be led q blasted life, with no friends
and apparently a prey TO remOrSe. The
little ravine where John Hinemau saw the
ghost" is known to this day as Gamble
hollow, from the belongings of the muir
dered man 80 peculiarly revealed therein
Hineman's tate was a most peculiar one.
His meeting with the ghost, and the
other circumstances connected with the
crime, prcyed upon his mind TO such an
extent that his hair turned a siveIy white,
and he began 20 waste away, and finally
died, az IA direct result, rs every one be-
lieved, OF the scare lie received on the
night of the corn husking. Hineman cam
to New M%artinsville from Wellsburg, and
perhaps some OF the older residents of that
place may ba able to recall him.